Manchester officers rescue suicidal woman in Merrimack River

MANCHESTER -- Two officers waded into the Merrimack River Tuesday afternoon to rescue a suicidal woman who was sitting in the chilly water 15 feet from shore.

The 20-year-old woman, who was immersed up to her chest in the river at Arms Park, appeared to be suffering hypothermia when Officers Mike Dunlap and Rick Valenti arrived about 2 p.m. after someone called 911, police said.

The officers threw a "rescue disc" to the woman, but she was unable to grab onto it. Concerned she could be swept away in the swift current, the officers decided to go into the river and get her.

Police brought the woman safely to shore. Her body temperature had dropped and she was taken by ambulance to an area hospital for further treatment and evaluation.